The latest issue of "Money" magazine has an article about vintage aluminum trees as a hot collectible. Anyhow, we have a nice silver one that belonged to my husband's grandmother. We also have 2 color wheels and a white metal glitter covered stand that plays music, this came w/ the tree.

My family used to go on a tree cutting trip ervery year. We'd all pile into the Valiant, take a ferry over to Salt Spring Island and go trekking through the snow searching for a tree under the hydro lines. We'd lash it to the roof then go visit the friendly resident turkey before heading home.

I love the smell of a fresh cut tree and that is what I remember growing up. Later Dad started getting the flocked white ones.....did not smell as good. We got our aluminum tree at a swap meet several years ago. As we travel between families or take vacation, it is much easier to set up even if just for the few days we are here. We put all or fun ornaments (flying saucer, pickle, flamingo, airstream trailer, tiki necklaces, etc.) on it and use the color wheel. No lights necessary. We had a couple of years where the fresh tree.......wasn't, and dropped needles within days.

I got one on ebay for next to nothing last year, sadly, I got what I paid for, it was pretty thin, bent, scraggly and just plain sad looking. A friend of mine liked it so I ended up giving it to him. I have a bag full of my Grandmother's old corsages from the fifties and sixties that I plan on using as ornaments. Still on the hunt for one, I just love 'em!
_________________

There's an article in the Chronicle's Home & Garden section today about aluminum trees. They interview Shimon and Lindemann about their collection and talk about a new $1000 pink aluminum tree featured MARTHA STEWART LIVING. I guess they're all the rage now, so snatch those suckers up before people on ebay start asking $500 for a nappy, 30 year-old fake christmas tree.

As a kid, I absolutely hated the one my grandmother had. Now, I think they're great for adding another retro touch to one's hipster pad (really). But, deep down, I know Santa tut-tuts whenever he sees one.

I like the way they look, one of my best friends had thieir(I can never remember) fake tree spray-painted black. Dont remember if it was aluminium or plastic. For that matter, I didn't ask if it was painted or just made that way. oh well, aluminium trees are cool.